vegan dinner – JenCooksPlants

BBQ Jackfruit

So you have a can/jar of jackfruit in the cupboard and you have no idea what to do with it. I’m here to help 🙂 What you don’t want to do with jackfruit is just eat it like it is – you have to spice and flavour that baby up, just like it’s a block of tofu, because it really is pretty tasteless on its own.

If you wanna keep your looks (who doesn’t…) apparently jackfruit is high in antioxidants, so get ON this stuff! Although it’s a fruit, and you can eat it as a fruit, most of us vegans use it as a meat substitute because of the texture, and it’s ability to take on savoury flavours. Have to admit, I tried raw jackfruit a year or so back, and I can’t say I enjoyed it… savoury cooked jackfruit though – GIMME.

BBQ jackfruit is probably the easiest and tastiest thing to do with a tin of jackfruit, and you can then use it in whatever dinner/lunch (or breafast?!) you like. I use mine in burgers, but you can also use as a baked potato topping, in tacos, on a pizza or as part of a warm buddah bowl. The choice is yours.

I like my jackfruit pretty spicy, but feel free to omit the chili powder if that’s not your bag. Jackfruit is much more soft and juicy if you cook it for a long time (and keep adding water as you go), but if you’re in a hurry you don’t need to cook the jackfruit for more than about ten minutes in the sauce. I’d suggest going for the long haul though, you won’t regret it.

Ingredients

1 x can/jar of jackfruit in water (approx 400g)

1 tsp oil for frying (e.g. sunflower oil)

1/2 small brown onion, roughly chopped

3 cloves of garlic, crushed or chopped finely

1 Tbsp hot smoked paprika (use less if you prefer non-spicy)

1 Tbsp agave (or sub with brown sugar or maple syrup)

1/2 tsp chili powder (omit if you don’t like spicy)

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

salt and pepper to taste

1/3 cup premade BBQ sauce (check if vegan – a fair few of them include honey)

Instructions

Drain the jackfruit and separate into smaller parts. Chop up the hard ends if they aren’t coming apart easily.

Add the oil to a frypan/skillet and heat on medium. Add the onions and cook until translucent, around 8 minutes (be careful not to burn – turn down if they start to brown).

While the onions are cooking, combine the paprika, agave, chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder and salt and pepper into a small bowl.

Add the minced garlic to the onions and stir, cooking for a minute or so, and ensure the garlic does not burn.

Add the jackfruit and the spices, and stir to thoroughly combine. Cook on medium for around a minute, stirring every so often so the bottom doesn’t stick.

Turn the heat to low and add the BBQ sauce and 1/2 cup of water. Stir to combine thoroughly. Leave to cook for around 30 minutes (up to an hour if you can stand the delicious smell!), stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Add more water if it starts to dry up. You want the sauce to be sloppy, but still sticking to the jackfruit when you serve it up.

Serve in buttered, toasted buns with lettuce, cheese and pickles and you have yourself a delicious pulled jackfruit burger!

Time to make: 10 minutes to prep the ingredients, 30 minutes to cook the jackfruit = 40 minutes

On a scale of easy (1) to pull your hair out difficult (5) = 1.5, Pretty darn easy once you have all your spices mixed and jackfruit shredded.

#nowplaying : Idles – Mr Motivator

Quinoa and sweet potato falafel

main meal, quinoa

Confession time – I’ve never made a falafel myself at home that didn’t turn out terrible. Not sure what it is exactly that I do to them but they seem to want to disintegrate whenever I deep fry them, and baking makes them taste too… healthy (you know [junk food] me). But now folks, I have managed to make a falafel that didn’t fall apart and tasted boss. BEHOLD.

These quinoa and sweet potato falafel are a game changer. I didn’t bother with the deep fryer and went the grilling route, instead of baking. Oh yes, it works. FINALLY. Trying to get more chickpeas and quinoa into your life has never been easier. Well, for some people it’s easy, but for me with my regular #FattyFriday’s and penchant for vegan burgers and Vego bars, it tends to be quite difficult getting the healthy stuff in me.

Make these sexy balls as big or small as you like – they tend to stick together well with the squishy-ness of the sweet potato. Use whatever herbs and spices you fancy too – these ones are a touch spicy but feel free to tone the spice down and give it more of your own flavours. Enjoy in pita, part of a salad or on their own as a snack. SO yum.

Ingredients

1 x medium sweet potato, peeled and diced

60g uncooked quinoa

1/2 a 400g tin of chickpeas (reserve the juice to make some chocolate mousse!)

2 cloves minced garlic

1 TBsp minced ginger

1 TBsp sunflower oil (or other high smoke point oil)

1/2 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp rice vinegar

juice of 1/2 a lime

handful of coriander or parsley (optional)

Instructions

Peel, dice and boil the sweet potato on the hob for 15 minutes, or until tender

While the sweet potato is cooking, cook the quinoa according to packet instructions

When the sweet potato and quinoa are cooked, set aside.

Add the oil, garlic and ginger to a fry pan and cook on low-medium heat for around one minute, ensuring the garlic doesn’t brown

Add the remaining ingredients to the fry pan, including the quinoa and sweet potato, and mash with a potato masher (or a fork if you don’t have a masher) until the mix is well combined and there are barely any chunky bits

Set aside the mix for a few minutes until it is cool enough for you to handle

Line a baking tray with parchment paper and turn on your grill to medium high heat

Roll the mix into balls of the same size (however big/small you like) and place on the parchment paper with plenty of space between them

I use either a little bit of water or oil to wet my hands with when rolling the balls, as it makes the mix less sticky on the hands and comes away easier (#toptip!)

Once all the mix has been rolled into balls, place your tray of balls under the grill for around 25 minutes, turning every 7 minutes or so. Keep an eye on them to ensure they brown but don’t burn.

Once ready, serve with salad, avocado, tahini or in a wrap. Enjoy!

Time to make: 10 minutes prep, 50 minutes cooking (including sweet potato/quinoa) = 1 hour

On a scale of easy (1) to pull your hair out difficult (5) = 2.5, relatively simple but with a few moving parts. Not the quickest of recipes, but you could cook the sweet potato/quinoa in advance and heat up the balls when you need them

#nowplaying : Cabbage – Arms of Pleonexia

Seitan steaks

main meal, seitan

So this is a recipe that I really HAVE to share with you all. I make seitan once every couple weeks on the weekend, because it lasts ages, you can freeze it, it’s a brilliant source of protein and you can do so much with it.

There are loads of seitan recipes knocking around the internet, and I’ve tried making plenty of them. I prefer making this one as it’s one of the easiest and I always have the ingredients ready to go. Vital Wheat Gluten can be hard to find, but check your local Whole Foods, Holland & Barrett or health food store and you should be able to pick up a pack. Make sure you get vital wheat gluten – if that’s not what it says, it’s not what you want! You can also order online in bulk if you plan on making a shedload of the stuff.

This recipe is for seitan “steaks”, so whatever you would use a steak for (if you were a meat eater…), you can substitute this for it. Steak burgers, Philly cheesesteaks, gyros, kebabs or stew – whatever your gorgeous vegan heart desires.

untitled-4499 — Steak, cheese and fried onion baguette. SEXXY.

It’s not a quick recipe, but it’s well worth the effort!

Enjoy 🙂

Ingredients

1 cup Vital Wheat Gluten (I used Suma for this recipe)

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

1 Tablespoon smoked paprika

1/2 Teaspoon garlic powder or granules

pinch of salt

3/4 cup of water (more if needed)

2 Tablespoons soy sauce or tamari, plus extra for marinating

1 Tablespoon tomato paste

5 cups of water

2-3 bay leaves

Instructions

Add the five cups of water and bay leaves to a large pot and bring to the boil. Turn down the heat until the water is only just simmering. If the water is boiling too fast this will make the seitan expand more and become more sponge-like. We don’t want that…

While waiting for the water to boil, add the vital wheat gluten, nutritional yeast, smoked paprika, garlic powder and salt in a large mixing bowl and stir to combine.

Add the 3/4 cup water, soy sauce and tomato paste to the dry ingredients and mix until a dough forms. Add a little bit more water here if needed (if all the wheat gluten hasn’t mixed in properly).

Knead the dough for about a minute and then let it rest for five minutes or so.

After five minutes, return to the dough and knead again for another minute.

Split the mixture into four or five steaks. The seitan will expand a bit, so make sure your steaks aren’t too big to start with! Try to flatten them as much as possible – use a floured rolling pin if that helps.

Add your steaks to the simmering pot of water and bay leaves, cover, and allow to simmer for 30 – 40 minutes.

While your steaks are simmering, add about a tablespoon of soy sauce or tamari to a bowl.

When the steaks are ready, allow to cool for 10 minutes or so.

Once cooled, dip the steaks into the soy sauce and press to allow the sauce to penetrate the steaks. You can leave them in the fridge at this point, or cook straight away.

Heat a fry pan or grill pan on medium high heat and carefully place the steaks in the pan. Cook for a few minutes on each side, until crispy edges start to form, or if using a grill pan, until you get those black lines along the steaks.

Use as you wish… try not to eat a whole one right after they come out of the pan 😉

Time to make: 5 minutes to mix the ingredients, 5 minutes to knead and let the dough breathe, 40 minutes simmering, 5 minutes dipping in soy sauce, 5 minutes in the frying pan = 1 hour

On a scale of easy (1) to pull your hair out difficult (5) = 2.5, relatively easy to mix and assemble but there are a few different steps… and plenty of dishes!

#nowplaying : Hookworms – Static Resistance

Spicy tofu & brussels sprout fried rice

main meal, tofu

Here’s a combo that you might not think goes together, but it really does. Brussels sprouts and fried rice? Nah. Oh, but YEAH.

Many people aren’t keen on that stinky little vegetable, but I’m a huge fan of sprouts. They’re usually only found as part of a roast dinner (hidden under the gravy), but after trying this recipe it’s clear that they’re a lot more versatile than just being a side dish. One cup of these little green machines gives you over 100% of your recommended daily intake of vitamin K and C, as well as containing high amounts of folate and fibre. Ugly vegetable, yet very good for you.

The combination of agave and sriracha on the crispy tofu gives it a sweet-but-spicy edge and I try to crisp up the tofu in the oven as much as possible without over cooking. The tofu can be pan fried too if you prefer that method. I like to just stick it in the oven and forget about it.

Try not to overcook your sprouts also – I know it’s quite a British thing to do (sorry Brits!), but let’s leave some of the nutrients intact, shall we?! Add some carrots and some seeds and you have a healthy as hell meal. You’re welcome 😉

Enjoy!

Ingredients

Sprout Fried Rice

2 cups of cooked, day old brown rice (white is fine if that’s all you have)

1.5 cups sliced Brussels sprouts (as thick or as thin as you want, just cook longer if you cut them quite thick)

1 large carrot, cut into half rounds

2 tablespoons of soy sauce

1 tablespoon of agave (or maple syrup)

1 tablespoon oil (any vegetable oil)

1 teaspoon sesame oil

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 Tbsp ginger (I used the stuff in a tube – lasts forever and it works well!)

Optional – sesame seeds, chopped peanuts, chopped roasted cashews

Spicy Tofu

1 pack (280g) Tofoo tofu (I love this stuff – no need to press the water out, just pat dry with a couple of handy towels and you’re good to go)

1 tablespoons soy sauce (or tamari)

1 tablespoon hot sauce (I use Sriracha, but you can use Frank’s or any other hot sauce)

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon agave (can also use maple syrup)

1 teaspoon sesame oil

Method

Prepare your tofu first so you can put in the oven and work on the fried rice.

Preheat oven to 200C

Prepare a baking tray with baking paper.

Mix all of the tofu ingredients apart from the tofu in a small bowl to make a marinade.

Drain the tofu and dice evenly.

Place the tofu into the marinade bowl and stir to combine, ensuring all of the tofu is coated.

Carefully place your tofu pieces one by one onto the baking paper. Keep the remaining marinade to coat the tofu halfway through.

Bake for 15 minutes.

After 15 minutes, turn over each piece of tofu individually and coat with the remaining marinade.

Bake for another 15 minutes or until browned, or as I like it, slightly burnt!

Now for the stir fry…

Add the vegetable oil and sesame oil to a cast iron skillet (or wok) and heat on medium high heat.

Add to the skillet the minced garlic and ginger, stirring occasionally for about a minute. Be careful not to burn the garlic!

Add the sliced sprouts and carrots, and fry for around five minutes (longer if your sprouts are cut quite chunky), stirring occasionally.

Add the rice, soy sauce and agave to the skillet and stir to combine. Stir fry for another five minutes or so, until everything is heated through and the rice becomes dry.

Serve immediately and top with the tofu. Add some sesame seeds or crushed cashews.

Time to make: 20 minutes prep (because sprouts take AGES to prep!), 15 minutes to cook the rice and 30 minutes for the tofu = 55 minutes

On a scale of easy (1) to pull your hair out difficult (5) = 2.5, the rice is really quick and easy but when you add the tofu it becomes more complicated.

Serves 2 (but honestly, keep some for leftovers as this is hella tasty the next day!)

#nowplaying Baxter Dury – Price of Tears

BBQ pulled tempeh sloppy Joes

burgers, main meal, tempeh

In my quest to veganise anything and everything, I’ve given Sloppy Joes the positivelyjen vegan once over. I missed out on the “joy” of Sloppy Joes before becoming vegan, because I was never really a fan of mincemeat (no surprises really considering what’s in the stuff…). Now that tempeh is on the scene there’s no turning back.

I remember the first time I tried tempeh… please don’t make my mistake and try it uncooked and not spiced – put me off the stuff for months. I persisted however, and now I’m picking up a packet every time I pay Whole Foods a visit. Not as versatile as tofu, but packed with more protein (19g per 100g – that’s EPIC) and more fibre than it’s more-processed cousin.

You can use vegan mince if you’re not a fan of tempeh (Fry’s do an awesome vegan mince), but in trying to keep things a bit healthy in the house, tempeh has slipped in there for the foreseeable. If you’re anti-spice too then feel free to leave out the jalapeño and chilli powder. Top with some green stuff (for the health), pickles, coleslaw (try my recipe here!) or your favourite vegan cheese.

Let the sloppiness begin.

Serves two people/four small burgers (or serves one if you’re really, really hungry)

Ingredients

1 Tbsp olive oil

2 cloves minced garlic

1 Tbsp cup chopped jalapeños (I use ones from a jar – you can use fresh if you have them)

1/2 medium sized brown onion, finely chopped

200g packet of tempeh (I use Impulse Foods, which is organic and produced locally in the UK)

2 Tbsp soy sauce

1/4 cup ketchup

2 Tbsp BBQ sauce

1 Tbsp tomato paste

1 Tbsp sriracha

1 tsp chilli powder

½ tsp cumin

salt & pepper to tastse

1/3 cup water

4 small hamburger buns

Instructions

Heat the oil in a fry pan/skillet over medium heat and add jalapeños and onion. Stir to combine and continue cooking and stirring occasionally for around five to eight minutes, or until onion is translucent.

Add the garlic to the pan and stir for one minute until garlic is heated through.

Add the tempeh and water to the pan and break up the tempeh with a wooden spoon. Mix to combine with the onions and heat through (about five minutes – keep stirring every so often).

Add the remaining ingredients minus the buns, and stir to combine. Add more water here if needed – you want a sloppy but not runny consistency! Cook for a further five minutes or so, until everything is heated through.

Spoon onto your hamburger buns and add your favourite toppings.

Time to make: 5 minutes prep, 10 minutes cooking time = 25 minutes

On a scale of easy (1) to pull your hair out difficult (5) = 1.5, quick and easy this one. GET IN.

#nowplaying Radiohead – Man of War

Vegan corn chowder

soup

Finally the cold weather is upon us (in the northern hemisphere anyway) and we can all start making soup again *huzzah*

One of the easiest and most versatile meals to make in the winter is soup, and there are so many vegan soup options you’ll never be bored. Do away with your tinned stuff, there’s absolutely no need. Guarantee most vegan soups end up being a LOT cheaper than store bought tinned ones, plus you know what you’re getting will be fresher and tastier, as you can add or subtract any ingredients you want.

I LOVE corn. Love the stuff. Could eat it every day. Corn and potatoes. I think I DO actually eat potatoes every day, in some way, shape or form. Definitely not a bad thing (as Dr McDougall will tell you). This soup is rich, creamy and chunky. You can blitz all the soup if you like (might need to add some more water to thin it out), or leave some chunks to make it feel more filling. I prefer the chunks, so only blitz around half of it.

This recipe serves 4 as a starter, or probably two as a main meal, accompanied with some fresh bread. Super easy to make and great to freeze/refrigerate for leftovers.

Ingredients

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 small white onion, diced

½ red pepper, diced

1 large potato, peeled and diced

3 Tbsp flour

1 cup plant milk (unsweetened)

2.5 cups of vegetable broth

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp dried parsley (or fresh if you have it)

2 cups frozen corn

Sea salt and cracked black pepper to taste

Instructions

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil. Add the diced onion and red pepper and heat on medium-low heat until the veggies are soft (around 10 minutes). Stir occasionally – make sure the veggies don’t stick to the bottom or start to burn.

Stir in the diced potato. Add the flour and stir to coat the veggies evenly.

Add the vegetable broth and plant milk and stir to combine.

Add the salt, pepper, smoked paprika and parsley and stir to combine.

Bring to the boil then reduce heat to a simmer and cover saucepan with a lid.

Simmer until the potatoes are tender, around 20 minutes, depending on the size of your potato chunks (longer for bigger chunks).

Add the frozen corn to the pot and stir to combine. Simmer for another 10 minutes until the corn is cooked through.

Once cooked, transfer a third of the mix to a blender and blend until smooth. Add the blended soup back to the saucepan and stir.

Serve immediately with buttered crusty bread and top with chives/parsley/more corn.

Time to cook: 10 minutes prep, 10 minutes for the onions, 20 minutes cooking, further 10 minutes with the corn – 50 minutes

On a scale of easy (1) to pull your hair out difficult (5) = 2 – a very simple soup

#nowplaying Spring King – Detroit

Sausage & black bean casserole (vegan)

main meal

It’s almost casserole season whoop whoop! Living in London means it’s basically always casserole season though – do we even have a summer? 🙂 If you’re feeling like something hearty, warm and filling a casserole is always the answer. They’re also awesome because you can have them with anything – mashed spuds, cauliflower rice, basic bitch rice, on top of nachos, with chips etc.

The beauty of casseroles is that you can chuck any old thing in them and provided you like the ingredients they will always turn out tasty. Just get your base right (some kind of protein, onions, herbs/spices, stock, tomato-y stuff) and you’re laughing.

This is one of those meals that also freezes well, so it’s brilliant for meal planning and those who don’t have time to cook something epic every night. For a slightly healthier version, omit the sausages and add more of your favourite beans. If you’re after a protein-packed meal (#proteinaholic), they don’t come much better than this ladies and gentlemen.

Ingredients

2 Tbsp oil

6-8 vegan sausages (I’m a fan of Fry’s – they’re big on protein if you’re into that kind of thing)

1 medium white onion, thinly sliced

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

½ tsp smoked paprika (you can use chili powder if you prefer)

200g chopped/diced tomatoes

200ml vegetable stock

1 Tbsp tomato puree

½ Tbsp vegan Worcestershire sauce

½ Tbsp coconut sugar (or any sugar you have to hand)

¼ tsp dried oregano

¼ tsp dried sage (if you have mixed herbs you can sub that for the sage and oregano)

2 sprigs of fresh thyme (or sub for ½ tsp dried)

1 bay leaf

50 ml red wine (or sub for water if you don’t want to use wine)

200g (half a can) of black beans

Salt and pepper to taste

Method

Heat the oil in a fry pan and fry the sausages according to the packet instructions. Fry’s usually take around 8 minutes to brown all over.

Place the sausages in a large saucepan and set aside. At this point you can chop the sausages up into bite sized pieces, alternatively leave them whole.

Place the onions in the fry pan on medium heat and fry until translucent, around five minutes. Add more oil if the onions are sticking to the pan.

Add the crushed garlic and cook for around 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Be careful not to burn the garlic!

Add the paprika and stir to combine.

Add the tomatoes, stock, tomato puree, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, herbs and bay leaf and stir to combine.

Add the wine and bring to a simmer, turning up the heat if needed.

Tip into the saucepan containing the sausages and again bring to simmering point.

Reduce heat and cover the saucepan with a lid.

Allow to simmer on low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Drain and rinse the black beans and add to the casserole, stirring to distribute.

Cook for a further 10 minutes, stirring occasionally and allowing the sauce to thicken.

Serve immediately with mash, cauliflower rice or some fresh crusty bread.

Time to make: 5 minutes prep, 40 minutes cooking = around 45 minutes

On a scale of easy (1) to pull your hair out difficult (5) = 2. Fairly easy, quite a few ingredients involved and there will be a few dishes 😉

#nowplaying Baby Strange – VVV

Get saucy – vegan lasagna sauce

main meal, sauce

Lasagna is just such a classic meal. I used to cook it all the time before going vegan, but was never sure how to transfer it over using plant based ingredients.

I should never have worried – the amount of plant based milks and cheeses around means lasagna will never go off the menu. Plus you only need to substitute for some soy mince or lentils, or just make it all from veggies. Most lasagna pasta sheets should be vegan (I use Biona Organic), so there’s no excuse!

This sauce can be used in any recipe you’d need a bechamel or white sauce. Lasagna is just one – give it a go on pasta, potato gratin or as a base for a mustard sauce or macaroni cheese. It shouldn’t be a prominent flavour in the food that you are adding it to, so don’t go crazy on the flavourings.

Ingredients

4 Tbsp vegan butter

1/2 small white onion, minced

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1/4 cup cornstarch

2 cups plant based milk (I use hemp milk but you can use soy or a milk that’s not too sweet)

juice of half a lemon

1 Tbsp nutritional yeast

1 tsp dried thyme (or one Tbsp of chopped fresh thyme if you have it to hand)

rock salt & cracked black pepper to taste

Instructions

Add the butter, onion and garlic to a medium sized saucepan and heat on medium heat until the onions are translucent and the butter has melted (around 2-3 minutes).

Add the cornstarch and stir until combined (it will be clumpy!).

While stirring, add the remaining ingredients apart from the thyme. Reduce heat and whisk until the sauce is at the required thickness.

Remove from the heat and stir in thyme.

Serve as lasagna sauce, over cauliflower/broccoli or in potato gratin.

Time to make: 5 minutes prep, 5 minutes on the hob = 10 minutes

On a scale of easy (1) to pull your hair out difficult (5) = 2 – have to keep an eye on the sauce while it’s on the hob.

#nowplaying Yak – Use Somebody

Spicy vegan “chicken” nuggets

main meal, seitan

You’ve gotta love seitan – making meat dishes out of plant based products for decades 🙂 I had seen recipes for seitan “chicken” nuggets all over the interwebs for months, and sampled them in various vegan restaurants (they were delicious), so thought I’d give it a crack myself.

These ones are spicy, moist on the inside and crunchy on the outside. Finger lickin’ good guys.

Not a recipe for those trying to avoid gluten (sorry GF peeps!) but definitely one to try when you have time. They reheat brilliantly and taste incredible as leftovers in a fresh white bap with vegan coleslaw and bbq sauce.

If you’ve not tried to make seitan before then this recipe is a good one to get you started. Seitan can be a little tricky to make due to the hefty list of ingredients needed and the time it takes to cook/coat/cook etc., but in the end it’s worth it. Not a recipe to whip up after work – leave it for a day off when you have plenty of time!

Word of warning here – these nuggets are SPICY. If you want to turn down the heat then sub all instances of hot sauce with veggie broth and you’ll have a much less spicy nugget. I do love a bit of spice though 🙂

Ingredients

Chicken

1 cup vital wheat gluten

3 Tbsp nutritional yeast

2 tsp onion powder

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp chicken seasoning (ensure vegan!)

1/3 cup hot sauce (I used Franks hot sauce – can sub for Sriracha)

2/3 cup vegetable broth

2.5 Tbsp tahini

6 cups vegetable broth

Coating

3/4 cup plain flour

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp garlic granules

1/4 tsp sugar

sprinkle of salt and pepper

2 Tbsp hot sauce

1/2 Tbsp mustard

2 flax eggs (or other egg substitute)

Oil for frying

Method

Makes 15 – 16 decent sized nuggets

Chicken

In a small bowl add the vital wheat gluten, nutritional yeast, onion powder and chicken seasoning and stir to combine.

In a large bowl, add the hot sauce, tahini and 2/3 cup vegetable broth and whisk to combine.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until fully combined.

Knead the dough for five minutes until it is elastic – ensure the dough is not too dry and not too sticky. Adjust vital wheat gluten/water to ensure the right balance.

Split the dough into bite sized nugget pieces. They will expand while cooking though, so don’t make them too big!

Heat the six cups of vegetable broth in a large pot and once boiling, carefully add the nuggets. Reduce to a simmer and boil for one hour, stirring every fifteen minutes or so.

Keep an eye on the broth – you may need to add more water if it evaporates too much and the nuggets aren’t entirely covered.

Once done, remove the nuggets from the broth and allow to dry on a wire baking rack for about half an hour.

Coating

Add the hot sauce, water and flax egg into a small bowl and stir to combine.

Add the remaining ingredients to a separate shallow bowl and stir to combine.

Take one piece of chicken nugget at a time and coat with the flour mix, then coat in the hot sauce mix, then coat again in the flour mix.

You will get very messy hands at this stage of the process!

Continue with each nugget, setting aside until all the nuggets have been coated.

Heat up enough oil in a fry pan to almost cover the nuggets. You can use a deep fryer here if you have one (I unfortunately do not!).

Check to see if your oil is hot enough by carefully dropping a small piece of coating into the oil – if it bubbles to the surface quickly it is ready to go. If it doesn’t bubble quickly and sticks to the bottom for a few seconds then it needs more heat. Ensure you don’t overheat the oil however – if the oil is producing a smoke then take it off the heat and let it cool down. No fires as a result of this recipe please!

Carefully place as many nuggets as you can fit into the pan, allowing plenty of space between them. Cook on each side for around 7-10 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy.

Once browned, place the seitan on paper towels to remove excess oil. Serve immediately or allow to cool before placing in the fridge.

Time to make: 10 minutes prep/kneading, 1 hour boiling, 30 minutes to dry, 10 minutes coating, 10 minutes cooking = 2 hours

On a scale of easy (1) to pull your hair out difficult (5) = 4.5, takes a lot of time and there are a fair amount of ingredients needed. The time it takes is well worth it though – make a double batch and freeze so you don’t have to do it so often!

#nowplaying The Wombats – Kill the Director

Easy rainbow salad (vegan)

salad

Yeah yeah yeah, vegans eat salad all day and all night, don’t they?

Surely you can tell by now from this blog the above statement just isn’t true, because I love vegan junk. Every once in a while though you need to get some greens into you. And some purples. And oranges. And quinoa.

This salad is great for a protein and iron hit (quinoa, edamame, spinach and pumpkin seeds are all so damn good for you) and perfect when the weather is hot and sticky. If you’re not a fan of purple cabbage you can get the same colour effect with some shredded beetroot instead. Just make sure you add your beets at the very end or you’ll end up with a completely pink salad.

I dunno, some people might like that though 🙂

You want some KEENWAH with them beets, brah?

Ingredients

Salad

1/2 cup cooked quinoa, cooled (preferably made the night before). Tricolour quinoa looks ace in this recipe, but standard quinoa is also good.

1/2 cup edamame beans, fresh or defrosted from frozen

2 small carrots, grated

2 lightly packed cups of spinach, roughly chopped

1/2 large purple cabbage, grated (or two peeled and grated beets if you prefer)

handful of pepitas/pumpkin seeds (or sub for sunflower seeds if you prefer)

Dressing

3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 Tbsp lime juice (or lemon – doesn’t make a huge amount of difference but I prefer lime)

2 Tbsp agave nectar

1 tsp dijon mustard

sea salt and cracked pepper to taste

Method

Combine the dressing ingredients in a small bowl/ramekin and whisk to combine.

Combine the salad ingredients in a large bowl and mix carefully to combine, so as to not rip the spinach.

Drizzle the whisked dressing over the salad and mix carefully. Serve immediately.

Time to make: 10 minutes prep, 5 minutes assembling = 15 minutes

On a scale of easy (1) to pull your hair out difficult (5) = 1.5, one of the easiest, healthiest salads you can make!

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